Did you all find your way here without a problem? I believe it wasn’t too difficult to find your way here. But, I presume that it was more difficult to navigate through the crowd of people, unlike when you walked the Cheonggyecheon Stream Trail. Perhaps that’s what Seoul is.

The monument that stands before you commemorates the 40th anniversary of the enthronement of King Gojong and a structure that protects it. Usually, this type of building is called ‘Bigak.’ However, this one here is called ‘Bijeon’ because it’s related to a king, or, more precisely, an emperor. It means that it’s a more prestigious monument. The word ‘Jeon’ in Geunjeongjeon Hall or Junghwajeon Hall in palaces share the same character as the ‘jeon’ of this name.

This monument was built in 1902. Yes, During the Korean Empire. Judging by the year, it must have been when the Korean Empire was stabilizing. It’s 4-5 years after the declaration of the Korean Empire in 1897. In fact, King Gojong, by the way, he was called Emperor Gwangmu at the time, prepared a lavish event to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his coronation.

However, most events were canceled due to the sudden breakout of cholera and year of famine. Even the crown prince was struck down by the illness.

It was a difficult time for the poor to make a living, so some people were seeking to migrate to another country or at least find work overseas. Of course, this had already been happening since the 1860s at Manchuria and Primorskiy Kray. But Manchuria and Primorskiy Kray would have been relatively close places in people’s mind, as they only needed to cross Amnokgang River and Dumangang River to be back at home. But the place of immigration and working overseas in the 1920s was Hawaii. It was an unprecedented thing for Korean people to move so far away as Hawaii.

The historical background of the time also involves the local circumstances of Hawaii. Hawaiian sugarcane plantation owners were looking for a new workforce to replace Japanese workers, and they discovered Koreans. The Hawaiian plantation owner requested Allen, the US Consul of the time, to arrange a workforce pool, and the Korean Empire established an office for their people’s immigration. It was headed by Min Yeonghwan and called Yuminwon, also known as the Bureau of Emigration.
The name Yuminwon means an ‘office that makes the people comfortable.’

But the advertisement for immigration to Hawaii was exaggerated. It said that Hawaii has no winter, and people can easily make money as they can work throughout the year. It was also advertised that the plantation owner would be providing food, housing, clothing, and medical costs.

But despite the difficult situations of making a living, no one wanted to leave their homeland for Hawaii, so the U.S. missionaries began to promote the project. Migrants were gathered at a church in Incheon. After much effort, a Japanese vessel with 121 Korean immigrants left for Kobe on December 22, 1902, and 102 people who passed the health check then transferred to the Gaelic and arrived at Honolulu, Hawaii. But only 86 could land due to health issues.

The situation at the plantation was different from the advertisement. People had to work for about 10 hours a day, and they were paid 50-80 cents for their labor. This was barely enough to make a living, let alone make any savings. Despite this circumstance, immigration to Hawaii continued, and by 1905, when the Japanese Resident-General of Korea pressured it to be banned, about 7,200 Koreans left for Hawaii.

Immigration to Hawaii also changed the way that Koreans look at their history. Koreans believed that they had to live in Korean Peninsular to make Korean history. Take Ahn Chang Ho as an example. He lived and worked overseas, but he cannot be disregarded from Korean history. It’s just unimaginable. In that sense, immigration broadened the spatial area of Korean history. On the other hand, more foreigners began to stay in Korea, so diversity was added to the scope of characters in Korean history. A broadened Korean history; it feels similar to the contemporary Korea that we live in.

Now, let’s head to our final stop. It is the last destination in Jongno Modern Trail Course 10, the Trail of History, and the final stop for Jongno Modern Trail itself. That is Gwanghwamun Square. Just across the road from the monument. From Gwanghwamun Square, walk past the statue of General Yi Sun-shin and Sejong the Great and get to where you can see Gwanghwamun Gate. I will continue our talk when we get there.